Tammi Hartung

Rating: 4 of 5

I knew there had to be a way to garden WITH bugs, birds, rabbits, etc. WITHOUT going medieval on said wildlife OR losing one's sanity, and this book offered great ways to do just that.

What I loved most was Tammi's obvious love of nature, gardening and wildlife - it was contagious and inspirational. She definitely walks the walk! (There's nothing worse than reading a how-to or DIY book and realizing its author probably never actually implemented the techniques they're writing about.) The book featured gorgeous illustrations and informative call-out boxes, and I lost count of how many new ideas I bookmarked.

I also appreciated that, right in the beginning of the book, Tammi encourages readers to have FUN gardening and to abandon the notion of "perfection." So many times I've seen people advise the "right" way to garden, which triggers my ever attentive inner perfectionist, but I've quickly discovered the most fun is had diving in and experimenting with what works best in MY garden. When the inevitable happens and a plant or flower doesn't thrive (or even survive), I make note of what I did, adapt, and test out another way.

Highly recommended to all gardeners - vegetable and flowers - who want to stop the war on wildlife and start gardening in peace.… (més)

I received an advance review copy of The Wildlife-Friendly Vegetable Gardener by Tammi Hartung (Storey Publishing) through NetGalley.com.

Although this is an articulate book with charming illustrations, my advice to serious gardeners is to give it a miss. Ms Hartung's experience on a tiny organic herb farm in southern Colorado is not widely applicable to people who depend on their gardens for food supply or income.

The book is easy to read and it does contains helpful information on encouraging beneficial plants, animals, birds and insects into the garden, but this is information is available elsewhere free. Otherwise this is a standard organic gardening book with information on soil improvement and the usual stuff.

The important point is that there is virtually no deep information on discouraging bad guys beyond such remedies as hanging bars of soap in the trees and growing your crops under cover. Ms Hartung focuses so much on encouraging a multiplicity of species she seems to forget that deer, bear and poisonous snakes represent economic and personal threats to gardeners.

In this advance review copy Ms Hartung grossly misreads the CDC incidence stats on rabid bats in the USA. I hope this was corrected for the final edition.… (més)